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CNN NEWSROOM

Gandolfini's Funeral Next Week; Two Aircraft Almost Collide; Gunman Shoots Four In Greenville, North Carolina; Phone Case Doubles As Stun Gun; Syrian Rebels Get Heavy Weapons; Jolie Works To Help Syria's Refugees; Protests Surge In Brazil; Bank Robber Wears "Iron Man" Mask; Lebron And Heat Repeat; Falling Toddler Caught By Five Men

Aired June 21, 2013 - 14:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: New details about the sudden death of actor James Gandolfini. A family friend says an autopsy confirms the former "Sopranos" star died of a heart attack two days ago while vacationing in Rome. He also said Gandolfini's body will likely be returned to the U.S. next week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL KOBOLD, GANDOLFINI'S FAMILY FRIEND: The body has been turned over to the funeral director who will be performing whatever he does to embalm the body. In Italy, it can take up to ten days to get all the necessary documents and paperwork to repatriate the body. We are looking forward to working with the Italian government, the officials to shorten that process. It looks like they are doing everything on their end, which is wonderful so that we can get Jim's body back sooner. Once we have the clearance, we will put him on a flight to America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: With the latest now from Los Angeles, CNN's Stephanie Elam. Stephanie, Gandolfini was locked in a hotel bathroom. What happened?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Don. What we now know that it was just natural causes that killed James Gandolfini. Michael Kobold who you just heard in that press conference earlier today in Rome saying nothing out of the ordinary was found during that autopsy. Kobold said Gandolfini had been happy enjoying his Italian vacation earlier on the day he died.

The actor took his son, Michael, teenage son to the Vatican before eating dinner at the hotel where they were staying. Michael then became worried about how long his father had been in the bathroom and because his dad did not answer his knocking, Michael alerted the hotel staff who then knocked down the door and called emergency services.

Doctors attempted to resuscitate him. That took for, like, 40 minutes they were working on him, but they were unable to restart his heart. We do know now that his wife Deborah Lynn and their 8-month-old daughter were also traveling with the actor. So now the family as you just heard is really focused on getting Gandolfini back to the United States. And they hope the hold the funeral either on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday next week, but it all depends on how long that process takes to get the body back to the United States from Italy -- Don.

LEMON: Such a tragedy. Stephanie Elam in Los Angeles. Thank you, Stephanie.

Up next, a story for every person who gets on a plane, an investigation is under way after two passenger jets, two passenger jets, come dangerously close to a collision. How did it happen? Details, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The worst fear for people who fly a lot. Listen if you would to an in-flight recording. This is June 13th. It's a lot of pilot lingo. I can tell you this much. It spells trouble.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED CONTROLLER: 172 Heavy, are you turning?

UNIDENTIFIED PILOT: Yes, sir. We are almost at zero four zero now.

UNIDENTIFIED CONTROLLER: Delta 172, Heavy, traffic 12:00, 1400 feet Embraer, 1600 feet.

UNIDENTIFIED PILOT: OK, we've got him on the fish finder here.

UNIDENTIFIED CONTROLLER: OK, eastbound at 1,800 feet coming out.

UNIDENTIFIED PILOT: OK, turning right to 06 here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: OK, so bottom line, very close call. A Delta 747 and a smaller plane came within half a mile of each other. Here's CNN's Rene Marsh.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The incident happened here at New York's JFK Airport. A Shuttle America Embraer-E170 was taking off just as the Delta 747 was preparing to land. That 747 then peeled out of its landing in a standard procedure called a missed approach. It is the latest in a string of near misses across the nation's airports in the past few years.

Last year in Washington, D.C., Reagan National Airport, three planes barely avoided slamming into one another after a control tower miscommunication and a frightening near-multiple collision in Denver.

UNIDENTIFIED AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER: Traffic alert, 1:00, less than two miles at same altitude descend immediately.

MARSH: The passenger plane caught on radar steering directly into the line of several aircrafts. In 2010, a pilot at Boston Logan Airport takes a wrong turn, right into the path of another aircraft. An air traffic controller frantically works to avoid a disaster.

UNIDENTIFIED AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER: JetBlue, hold right there. JetBlue hold. Hold.

MARSH: Thankfully the pilot hears him just in time. Crisis averted.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: That was Rene Marsh. Well, the most recent near collision, the one this month, now is the subject of a federal investigation. Delta says it will cooperate fully.

I want to give you some developing news that we are getting word now from a shooting -- about a shooting in North Carolina. It's just into CNN. The gunman shot four people in Greenville before being shot by police. That's according to Mayor Allen Thomas, Mayor Allen Thomas telling CNN that.

Shortly before noon the gunman approached and shot the four victims in a parking lot and on the street, he said. Police then exchanged gunfire with the man in another parking lot. The victims have been transported to the hospital. The condition of the suspect is unknown. As soon as we get more information on this story we'll update you here on CNN.

In the meantime, coming up, some people can't live without their phone. Now there is a smartphone case that could help you stay alive if you're attacked or it could get you in big trouble if you use it on the wrong person. The details are shocking literally next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right, here's a really wild invention, an iPhone case that doubles as a stun gun. I'm not kidding you. There it is. It doubles as a stun gun. Do you really want these loose on the street? A former army soldier came up with the idea after he was robbed at gunpoint in his own home. It can deliver a shock that causes extreme pain.

CNN's personal finance business correspondent, Zain Asher, she joins me now. How does this thing work?

ZAIN ASHER, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE/BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Don, it doesn't get any more James Bond than this, does it?

LEMON: It's a little scary for me.

ASHER: Pretty creative way to prevent your iPhone from getting stolen. It's very simple how it works. It has an activation button on the side. You press it. It basically delivers 650,000 volts right at the person you're aiming at. It looks like a normal iPhone case, a little bit heavier. If you're walking around carrying one no one would ever know until they tried to steal your phone and then they would know. LEMON: Until the guy next to you or gal --

ASHER: Exactly. I spoke to the company today. I said, listen, my main concern with this is how do you prevent it from being used accidentally? They said there is a protective safety cap. You have to go through a couple of steps before it aims. It feels like a bee sting. It's not going to knock someone down completely. It feels like a bee sting. Of course, you do have to be over 18 to buy one.

LEMON: OK, Zain, listen, there are -- stun guns are banned in certain states. There have to be restrictions on selling and using this case.

ASHER: Of course, actually to be honest in most states, in about 40 states there's absolutely no restrictions at all. In seven states including places like New York and New Jersey there are complete restrictions. You can't use stun guns anywhere in those states. Eight states that are partial restrictions. As long as you don't have a criminal record you're fine using them. I think no matter where you live one thing to remember is that this is one iPhone case you cannot take on a plane. I think it's pretty safe to say.

LEMON: OK I'm just worried about someone -- after a couple drinks or something. How much does it cost?

ASHER: About $140, probably the most expensive iPhone case out there. You can buy stun guns for a lot cheaper. I think it's just the fact this disguises as an iPhone case as well. That is what has people intrigued.

LEMON: We'll see. What will they think of next?

ASHER: I know, I know.

LEMON: Thank you, Zain Asher. Appreciate it.

Still ahead here on CNN, just a few months after undergoing a double mastectomy Angelina Jolie back on the front lines of the refugee crisis in Syria.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Syrian rebels tell CNN they have just received a shipment of heavy weapons including anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles. They say the weapons came from, quote, "brotherly nations" that support the Syrian revolution. Rebel leaders say the weapons shipment will be a turning point in the war against government forces. Military assistance will be discussed tomorrow when Secretary of State John Kerry meets in Qatar with nations that make up a friends of Syria group.

Speaking of Syria, Angelina Jolie is voicing -- using her voice to try to help millions of Syrian refugees who have fled the country's civil war to neighboring countries. This is Jolie visiting a refugee camp nearly two years ago and this week she visited another refugee camp in Jordan and filed a firsthand account for CNN. Our Erin McLaughlin reports. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANGELINA JOLIE, ACTOR/U.N. REFUGEE SPECIAL ENVOY (voice-over): Every 14 seconds somebody crosses Syria's border and becomes a refugee.

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The voice of Angelina Jolie hard at work. A clear signal the star is not slowing down since news of her preventative double mastectomy.

JOLIE: Refugees struggling to survive in villages, towns and cities across the region.

MCLAUGHLIN: She filed this exclusive report for CNN produced by the United Nations. It's an effort to highlight the surge of refugees out of Syria. It includes her personal interviews with some of the families who have fled the conflict, filmed during her most recent journey to the refugee camp in Jordan.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We want the situation to get better so that we can go home.

MCLAUGHLIN: Angelina recently drew crowds throughout Europe. She was by Brad's side for the press circuit for his new film. Now she's trying to draw attention to her work as a U.N. special envoy for refugees, which has brought her to Iraq, Afghanistan and Turkey. Here she is touring the Congo in March even though she was between required surgeries. For the past year, her focus has been primarily on Syria and its children.

JOLIE: It's impossible to imagine any mother standing by and not stepping up and doing something to prevent this.

MCLAUGHLIN: Angelina talks to the mother of a teenager named Basel who was killed in the conflict.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Basel was everything to me. I loved him so much.

MCLAUGHLIN: The report highlights a haunting truth. That the facts of the Syrian conflict are staggering and the situation is getting worse. By the end of the year, the U.N. estimates half of Syria's population will be in need of help.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCLAUGHLIN: Angelina Jolie declined to be interviewed by CNN, Keeping the focus on Syrian refugees, further proof that she's not just a mother, director, and actor, but an advocate against human suffering. Earn McLaughlin, CNN, London.

LEMON: All right, Erin, thank you very much.

Still ahead here on CNN, police are looking for a superhero not to help them catch criminals, but because he is one.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: Some of the hottest stories in a flash. Rapid fire. Roll.

To Brazil first where the president is holding emergency meetings today with her cabinet after a massive protest last night. Police say more than 300,000 people rallied in Rio de Janeiro. One death was reported in a demonstration in Sao Paulo state. Demonstrators say they are fed up with high taxes and poor services while the government spends billions in preparation for the World Cup soccer tournament next year.

Superheroes are not supposed to rob banks. A robber in Florida apparently did not get the memo, wearing an Ironman mask to hide his identity. The man pulled a gun and demanded money inside a Wells Fargo branch late yesterday. Police are still looking for him.

Lebron, well, he's left the critics with not a whole lot to say for the second consecutive year. He has led his Miami Heat to the NBA title, 37 points for Lebron last night and MVP of the thrilling seven- game series with the San Antonio Spurs. All according to plan, says Lebron.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEBRON JAMES, MIAMI HEAT: The vision I had when I decided to come here is all coming true. You know, through adversity, through everything we've been through, we've been able to persevere and to win, you know, back to back champion -- back to back championships. It's an unbelievable feeling.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Final score last night, Heat, 95, Spurs, 88.

A toddler dangling on a window ledge five stories above the ground, some guys out on a work break heard the little girl's terrified cries and they looked up then the toddler fell. David Mackenzie has more on this incredible scene in Beijing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID MACKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An incredible rescue in China. Taking a break from work, the group of couriers hear crying. They look up. To their horror they see a 2-year-old girl on the ledge outside a window five floors up. The whole sequence caught on a security camera of the company. They tried to calm the young girl nicknamed Chichi then the nightmare scenario.

Chichi loses her footing. The men rush forward and she falls. And just in time, they catch her and she gets a hug. Their actions have set Chinese social media alight. Good job, Mr. Male Courier, said this user. This is the best marketing, said another about the courier company.

The company says they will reward their workers who saved Chichi. Two were likely injured and the young girl whose parents say she got through the window when they were out buying medicine was left shaken, but with just a scratch and quite a story. David Mackenzie, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Did you see that?

Coming up in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM, students in Washington State say they were hazed, hit with lead pipes and burned by cigars but get this. Investigators told us they're not going to file any charges. We'll tell you why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Getting in details of a multiple shooting in North Carolina. That's Greenville, North Carolina, 80 miles east of Raleigh. Joining me now on the telephone is Mayor Allen Thomas. Mayor Allen Thomas, mayor of Greenville. Sir, what do you know?

ALLEN THOMAS, MAYOR OF GREENVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA (via telephone): Don, at this point we know there are four victims. We had an isolated shooting situation around 12:00 noon today, very concerned at this point. We don't know the status of the victims, an individual shooter. Police responded quickly. The shooter was taken down within a short period of time after the exchange of gunfire, but it's just a tragic situation now. You know, that we've seen in so many other communities across the country, isolated individuals with issues and access to guns. We're dealing with it here in Greenville, North Carolina.

LEMON: Again, explain to our viewers what happened. This gunman, the situation, this gunman came up on the victims. How did all this go down?

THOMAS: The way it happened, an individual with a backpack with a shotgun approached a parking lot area near a Wal-Mart and began opening fire, and made contact with the victim. Ran across the boulevard into the Wal-Mart parking lot and began shooting randomly in the parking lot area. Three other individuals were injured in that process.

In less than a minute, a Greenville police officer was in that lot exchanging gunfire with the individual. This could have gotten a lot worse, Don. I just can't commend our officers enough for getting on the situation and responding. Police responded. After exchanging gunfire the individual was taken down.

LEMON: Mayor, do you know if the individual had any connection with anyone at the store or any of the people he shot?

THOMAS: At this point, we don't know. We don't think so. They've put in the back story at this point he had some individual issues. It was not directly related to the shopping center itself. We think this was just an act of someone with rage and took action with that.

And it's a tragic situation today. But I commend our law enforcement officers all across the country for the great job they do in being ready to deal with these situations. LEMON: OK. Mayor, thank you. Mayor Allen Thomas, the mayor of Greenville, we appreciate you joining us here on CNN. If you get more information, call back in, please. Thank you, sir.